Cases of type 2 diabetes (DM2) are increasing at an alarming rate world wide, affecting up to 7% of the global population, making diabetes a major public health issue. Diabetes also exacts enormous personal tolls, among them long-term complications such as cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy. Worldwide, the incidence of diabetes is projected to continue to rise exponentially, reaching 366 million by 2030 (Wild et al., Diabetes Care. 27:1047-1053 (2004)). There are many more undiagnosed diabetics and individuals who have insulin resistance or “pre-diabetes,” and an unappreciated increased risk of developing diabetes. Thus, an important public health goal is to provide treatment strategies, and to implement prevention and early intervention strategies, including exercise, modest weight loss, and specific medication (Hu et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 345: 790-797 (2001); Tuomilehto et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 344:1343-1350 (2001)).